The gauge that reads charging or not, dous it messure amps I know it does not go by voltage ( I think ). My currently does not work I have gotten the other gauges to work (Thanks to you guys), but the amp gauge does not. I would really like to keep the factory gauges working and not put in aftermarket gauges. Any help would be appreciated thank you in advance

 

They never "worked" from the get go.....

Ford Ammeter Gauges: Do They Work? | MILEPOSTS Garage (Tech Tips)

 

And the funny thing is it was like that well into the 80s.

For example the amp gauge in my 87 Ranger doesn't do anything.

Josh

 

X3 Yes, the ammeter is supposed to measure amperage but rarely worked even when new.
When it did work the needle moved so little you couldn't tell it was moving.
Every once in a while you'll come across one that works fine, these are the rarities.

 

So what would be a good solution I would like to keep the factory gauges I really don't want to put in after market gauges is there a replacement for the stock gauge that works better. I already have alot of money in the gauges getting the factory ones working. I guess I am old fashion I like the look of the factory gauges after all the work I like to drive at night they light up beautifully you can even read the miles easily first older truck I have had where you can even see the gauges at night much less in detail. Sorry to ramble on just proud of them

 

I'm the same way, I like the "factory" look and do not like gauges hung under the dash, hanging off the steering column, etc.
I just tracked down and bought all NOS gauges, including the speedo, for my project. I also tracked down a NOS alternator wiring harness. At this point I can only "hope" that the ammeter will work when I fire her up for the first time.
P.S. I'm pretty proud of my instrument cluster too.

 

Somebody here sent their ammeter "pod" and had it reworked into a voltmeter.

That's pretty trick.

Josh

 

2x I remember that too. Have been searching but can't find it.... Thought I bookmarked it.... Maybe someone else remembers?

.

 

that is a really nice cluster I guess I am getting old when I was younger I had a 72 mustang with autometer gauges everywhere. Transforming the am meter to a volt meter would be very cool if you find that thread please let me know although I am not going completly stock I like the cab to be simple and functional

 

My amp gauge does not work in my 76 either. It has never worked since I bought it and it only had 80k miles on it then. It really bugs me but I don't know how to fix it. I like the idea of making it a voltage meter. Any ideas?

 

LOL Did you not ready the previous statements? It doesn't work, never did work and never will work properly as an ammeter. And that's how Ford did that particular gauge for 25 years.

Josh

 

According to a Mustang forum these people can convert an ammeter to a voltmeter for $175.00. I don't see any mention on their website though.
Speedometer Repair Tachometer Clock and Gauge Restoration for Musclecars and Vintage Automobiles

 

$175? Dayum! Cut it down to under $80 and I bet they would get swamped.

Josh

 

A voltmeter is really the tool to use anyway. Even when functional, an ammeter is useless IMO. An ammeter can only give relative information, not absolute (in other words, you can measure a current draw, but it has no way of telling you if the draw has been going on for 10 seconds or 10 minutes the instant you look at it).

The factory ammeters are a shunt style ammeter, and by design they cannot give any useful information. The only way to effectively measure current draw in this case is a series ammeter (aftermarket), which I don't recommend - I think it's too easy to make a mistake and the wiring is too crucial. If you understand how to interpret a voltmeter's behavior; there's nothing an ammeter can tell you that a sensitive voltmeter won't.

Your alternator's voltage regulator goes by voltage, and you should too. In other words, the battery's running voltage is the true tell-tale sign of what's going on and is what you should be looking at.

 

I agree. Although, in a weird situation back in the day with my wife's 1997 Nissan Pathfinder. One day it wouldn't start. Jump start it and test for volts. 14+ volts at idle

Charge the battery just to be sure and later the next day (after using the Pathfinder all day) battery is dead again WTH?

I pull the battery out of my 74, Pathfinder cranks up, alternator again shows 14+ ok... but WTH is going on?

Go ahead and remove ALT and the other battery and have them tested. Battery good, alternator good volts, but almost NO AMPS.

Go figure.

I have been around TONS of alternators and that is the only time I have experienced something like that.

I still check and monitor for volts for a problematic charging system, despite that wierd earlier occurrance.

Josh